From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Waka has more than one meaning.
Japanese
In a broad sense, Waka (和歌) is a form of Japanese poetry. It can be either Tanka (短歌 lit. short poem) or Choka (長歌 lit. long poem). Waka, though, usually means Tanka.
Tanka is an even older form of Japanese poetry than haiku. It consists of five lines with a pattern of syllables in each line as follows: 5-7-5-7-7. To be exact, it is contained in waka, which consist of tanka, choka, etc. But usually, waka is equal to tanka. Each line contains a separate image but a unifying image runs through the entire poem.
There were selected poets called Six best Waka poets and Thirty-six best Waka poets.
Maori
The Maori of New Zealand call their canoes waka. More recently the term has also been applied to other forms of transport such as an automobiles.
